The Police Command in Oyo State yesterday arrested five Yoruba Nation agitators, who allegedly hijacked a radio station, Amuludun FM in Ibadan, the state capital, with the intent to declare liberation from the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The agitators, it was learnt, stormed the federal radio station around 6.00 a.m. yesterday, seized the GSM phones of workers and went on air, proclaiming the establishment of a Yoruba Nation and secession from Nigeria.
Also in Lagos, the Police Command in Lagos State yesterday arrested two members Yoruba Nation agitators in the Alausa area of the state, recovered charms and weapons from them.
Spokesperson for the command, Benjamin Hundeyin, a Superintendent (SP), who confirmed the arrest in a statement yesterday, said the agitators stormed a police station in the early hours of yesterday.
The Oyo State Police Commissioner, Adebowale Williams, who paraded the five suspects at the Command Headquarters, Eleyele, Ibadan yesterday, said operatives of the command, while on intelligence driven patrols, got a distress call that some members of a group driven by separatist agenda, had hijacked a radio broadcast station, Amuludun 99.1 FM, located at Moniya, Ibadan with the intent to declare liberation from the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
According to him, the command responded swiftly in a well coordinated rescue operation and arrested the suspects, adding that no personnel from the establishment or any other persons were hurt in the incident.
He said he has detailed an investigation team, led by the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), to demystify the circumstances around the incident.
The team was also directed to expand the network of arrests through painstaking intelligence-driven investigation, declaring the act as criminal, unpatriotic and a clear case of terrorism which would be met with adequate sanctions under the laws of the land.
“The Oyo State Police Command remains unwavering and committed to the statutory constitutional requirements of protecting lives and property and as well preserving law and order, even as the state and indeed nation geared up for Monday’s inauguration of its elected leaders.
” I assure good citizens of the state that the security architecture of the command, in concert with relevant sister agencies, has been strategically modified for optimum effectiveness for tomorrow’s epoch-making ceremony and beyond,” he said.
Williams said the security architecture of the state had been beefed-up to comprehensively tackle any evolving or emerging security challenge which could pose a threat to the nation’s stability.
He called on parents, guardians and leaders wielding various degrees of influence to prevail on their children against being used to disrupt today’s inauguration as heavy sanctions awaited defaulters and other unpatriotic elements sharing the same sinister motives.
The suspects were arrested in possession of various charms and clothes with the inscription: “Yoruba Nation Police, Yoruba Nation Army.”
One of the suspects said somebody popularly called Black Lion instructed them to hijack the station and go on air that Yoruba Nation had been established and there was nothing the Police or the Nigerian Army could do to them.
The suspect said the person that instructed them was not resident in Nigeria and that they contacted him through phone calls.
He further said they were not promised any money before carrying out the incident, adding that he travelled down to Ibadan on Friday from Enugu state where he resided, for the action.
In Lagos, Hundeyin said: “The agitators, numbering 15, stormed Alausa Police Division at about 5:35 a.m. today, chanting, ‘Yoruba Nation has taken over,’ and injured some police officers who attempted to disperse them.
“Two of the agitators were arrested while the rest took to their heels following the prompt and coordinated response of the police. The suspects, who were arrested with charms, dangerous weapons and different offensive insignias bearing Yoruba Nation Army, stormed Alausa Division along with others at about the same time another group was attempting to take over a radio station in Ibadan, Oyo State.”
“They claimed they came to officially inform the police that the United Nations had granted approval for the take off of Yoruba Nation,” he said, adding that the suspects are currently assisting the police in the ongoing investigation into the subversive plans of the group.
“The suspects are assisting the police while their network of sponsors will soon be unveiled and brought to justice in the overriding internal security interest of the State,” he said.
The police image-maker said the state Commissioner of Police, Idowu Owohunwa, has warned subversive elements to steer clear of the state or face the wrath of the law.
He said: “The command is fully ready and has the strong will and operational orientation to bring the full weight of the law to bear on them or on any other elements that might attempt to disrupt the stable security order in Lagos.
“While working in synergy with other security agencies, the command has maximally deployed its intelligence, human and operational assets across the length and breadth of the state.
“The command will effectively suppress any ill-advised persons or groups under any nomenclature who might be attempting to test the will of law enforcement operatives of the command before, during and after the May 29, 2023, inauguration.”
According to him, Owohunwa appreciated the good people of the state for their unrelenting cooperation with the police, adding that the CP has urged residents to continue to manifest their patriotism by promptly reaching out to the police or nearest security agency whenever the need arises.
